Silvia ordered to pay $20,000 for campaign finance violations

The Office of Campaign and Political Finance announced Wednesday that state Rep. Alan Silvia, D-Fall River, has agreed to pay $20,000 in civil fines for campaign finance violations during his 2012 run for office for the 7th Bristol Representative District seat. In a disposition agreement, the OCPF cont...

The Office of Campaign and Political Finance announced Wednesday that state Rep. Alan Silvia, D-Fall River, has agreed to pay $20,000 in civil fines for campaign finance violations during his 2012 run for office for the 7th Bristol Representative District seat.

The OCPF started the investigation after receiving a complaint alleging Silvia had violated campaign finance regulations. It prompted a review of his campaign financial activity for 2012.

Silvia also ran for the same seat in 2010.

Silvia said the investigation started in December before he was sworn into office after what had been a contentious race with incumbent Kevin Aguiar.

“I’m glad it’s been resolved,” Silvia said, “It’s been painful, but in the eight months I’ve been in office, I never allowed it to interfere with the work I’ve done for my constituents and my work at the Statehouse.”

Silvia said he has already paid half of the civil fine, which is ahead of the payment schedule set up by the OCPF. He has until March 1, 2015, to pay the full amount of the fine, and if he complies with the agreement, which includes filing additional campaign finance reports with OCPF, an agreed suspended forfeiture of $10,000 would be waived.

Among the specific violations, Silvia spent $25,800 directly from a bank account listed under the name of Colette Matarese, who the representative described as a longtime friend and companion.

The account did not include any of Silvia’s personal funds even though he was added as a signatory in March 2012. OCPF said the use of Matarese’s money from the account represents an excess contribution above the $500 annually as allowed under state law.

In a deposition from Matarese, she informed the OCPF that she considered the money in the account as much Silvia’s money as her funds.

Of the $25,800, the committee only disclosed $11,600 on campaign finance reports.

Silvia’s campaign committee also intentionally disclosed $7,400 in campaign contributions from people who didn’t actually make the donations to his campaign, deposited checks from contributors totaling $1,125 but failed to disclose the money on a campaign report, and deposited approximately $4,000 in cash with contributor information.

This is the second time since Silvia was elected in 2012 that his committee was found to have broken campaign finance laws. In February, Silvia agreed to pay a $400 fine for using a public employee as his campaign treasurer. Silvia had employed Ernest Edwards. Edwards' role as a member on the Fall River Planning Board prohibited him from serving as Silvia’s campaign treasurer.

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Edwards also paid a $100 fine, and Silvia said he didn’t know that his campaign treasurer’s position on the board constituted him as a public employee.

Silvia admits he should have paid more attention to campaign finance rules, but that there was never any attempt to hide anything, noting that the OCPF in the agreement will not refer Silvia or the campaign committee to any other government agency, including the Office of the Attorney General.

“I was in heated battle, running a one-man campaign, and I should have given more attention to the finances,” Silvia said, “but it’s no use doing Monday morning quarterbacking.”

Silvia said he is looking to move forward and has hired a new treasurer and bookkeeper who is keeping up with finances on a weekly basis.

Silvia joked that he has an equivalent to a doctorate in campaign finance rules in the commonwealth and that the OCPF “is on speed dial.”

“I’m just thankful it’s over,” Silvia said, “It’s been painful, but I had nothing to hide.”